“This correspondence is perhaps the most interesting one of Walpole’s that has as yet appeared; as, in addition to his usual merit as a letter-writer, and the advantage of great ease, which his extreme intimacy with Sir Horace Mann gives to his style, the letters to him are the most uninterrupted series which has thus far been offered to the public.  They are also the only letters of Walpole which give an account of that very curious period when his father, Sir Robert Walpole, left office.  In his letters hitherto published, there is a great gap at this epoch; probably in consequence of his other correspondents being at the time either in or near London.  A Single letter to Mr. Conway, dated ’london, 1741,’-one to Mr. West, dated ’May 4th, 1742,’-(none in 1743,) and one to Mr. Conway, dated ‘Houghton:  Oct. 6th, 1744,’ are all that appear till ‘may 18th, 1745,’ when his letters to George Montagu recommence, after an interval of eight years.  Whereas, in the correspondence now published, there are no less than one hundred and seventeen letters during that interval.

The letters of Walpole to Sir Horace Mann have also another advantage over those of the same author previously published, namely, that Sir Horace’s constant absence from home, and the distance of his residence from the British Islands, made every occurrence that happened acceptable to him as news.  It) consequence, his correspondent relates to him every thing that takes place, both in the court and in society,-whether the anecdotes are of a public or private nature,-hence the collection of’ letters to him becomes a most exact chronicle of the events of the day, and elucidates very amusingly both the manners of the time, and the characters of the persons then alive.  In the sketches, however, of character, which Walpole has thus left us, we must always remember that, though a very quick and accurate observer, he was a man of many prejudices; and that, above all, his hostility was unvarying and unbounded with regard to any of his contemporaries, who had been adverse to the person or administration of Sir Robert Walpole.  This, though an amiable feeling, occasionally carries him too far in his invectives, and renders him unjust in his judgments.

“The answers of Sir Horace Mann are also preserved at Strawberry Hill:  they are very voluminous, but particularly devoid of interest, as they are written in a dry heavy style, and consist almost entirely of trifling details of forgotten Florentine society, mixed with small portions of Italian political news of the day, which are even still less amusing than the former topic.  They have, however, been found useful to refer to occasionally, in order to explain allusions in the letters of Walpole.